


Reconnecting

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Family fun, Gen, family memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: Tony takes his family to meet his Aunt Isabella. November 2021 sequel to "The Desk." Part of the 'You Complete Me' universe.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	1. Road Trip

Reconnecting

_Tony takes his family to meet his Aunt Isabella. November 2021 sequel to "The Desk."_

Chapter 1 – Road Trip

"Ok, little Ninja, ready to go," Tony helped Rivka get her pull-up and leggings situated as Beth took her turn on the toddler potty.

"Done, Abba," the little girl stood up and pointed.

"Good girl, way to go," he high-fived his number three Ninja and adjusted her pull-up and leggings. "Who's ready to go for a ride to New Jersey?"

"Me," the twins replied together, rushing to the front door where Anthony and Tali were already waiting with their backpacks of books and toys for the road trip. Ziva came from LJ's room with the baby in his carrier that snapped into the base in the van. She had a large diaper bag slung over one shoulder.

Tony grabbed the twins' backpacks of toys in one hand and opened the front door. "Buddy system to the van," he reminded the four older kids. Tali took Beth's hand in hers as Anthony grabbed Rivka's hand. They'd devised the system of having the older two each hold one of the twins' hands to keep the almost two-year-olds from running off ahead of the rest of the family.

He locked the front door as Ziva followed the kids to the family's minivan; she snapped LJ's carrier in place behind the driver's seat as Anthony and the two younger girls climbed into their booster seats in the rear-most seat. Tony put the twins' backpacks where the girls could reach them and checked their harnesses on the toddler seats. Anthony's seat belt was secure; Tony double-checked it to be sure.

Tali climbed into the front passenger seat where her mother usually sat. Tony checked that Tali's booster seat was snug against the seat back and helped his oldest get her seat belt in place. Ziva sat behind in Tali's usual seat so that she could easily attend to one-month-old LJ if he fussed or needed to be fed while the family was on the road.

"Are we ready?" Tony asked the family as he started the engine. A chorus of "yes, Abba" came from the four kids; Ziva tried to keep them somewhat quiet as LJ was asleep. "Okay, then, let's hit the road. First planned stop at the Delaware House rest stop in about an hour and forty-five."

By the time the van was on I-95 heading around DC on the east side in Maryland, the twins had dozed off. Anthony was hugging his Ferrari bear and watching the traffic and buildings along the highway. LJ was still sleeping, so Ziva read the novel she'd brought along. Tali was quiet in the front seat until they crossed the US-50 interchange.

"Abba?" she asked quietly so as not to disturb the others.

"Yeah, princess?"

"Why don't you talk about your family?" Tali really wanted to know. "Ima has told us about her sister and her Ima, but you don't say much about your parents or any of your family."

Tony paused; he wasn't quite sure what to tell his oldest. She deserved to know about her family, but he also didn't want to create a negative impression of his father for the children. "There's not much to tell," he began. "I guess I don't have a lot of memories to share, for one."

"But why, Abba? You _did_ have an Ima and an Abba, right?" Tali thought about the boy in her class who was living with his grandparents because both of his parents had died in an auto accident.

Tony stayed quiet for several minutes; Ziva almost intervened to change the subject when he replied to Tali.

"Yeah; but my Mom died when I was eight; not much older than you are now. It… well, it… still hurts," he spoke softly. "And my father and I had a complicated relationship; that was on good days…" He switched lanes to continue on I-95 north towards Baltimore.

"The old man who came to visit right after the twins were born?" Tali remembered the visit mostly because her Abba had been upset when the older man showed up at their door. She and Anthony had hung back observing quietly.

"Yep; your grandfather DiNozzo," Tony sighed. He wasn't sure how much he should share with Tali, but he also knew Aunt Isabella would most likely tell the kids about his father. "Aunt Isabella, the lady we are going to visit, was my Uncle Angelo's wife; my father's sister-in-law. Uncle Angelo owned a bakery; Uncle Vinnie was a butcher; and my father, well, he was… a… businessman…"

LJ started fussing in his car seat; Ziva reached over and unbuckled him to lift the baby into her arms. He rutted against her shirt, clearly wanting to be fed.

"Do you need me to pull over?" Tony glanced in the rear view mirror to check on the kids in the back row of seats. Rivka and Anthony were awake and watching out the windows; Beth appeared to be still asleep.

Ziva positioned the baby so he could nurse under the lightweight blanket she threw over her shoulder and the little one. "We're good; he is nursing," she glanced towards her husband. "We _are_ still stopping at the rest area in Delaware, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tony quipped. "We are almost to the Fort McHenry Tunnel; you good? We can stop if you need, plus Maryland House is on the other side of Baltimore."

Ziva shifted the baby slightly as he nursed, "Delaware is about half-way, so I think that will be fine." She glanced over her shoulder at the three in the back row. They all seemed content to ride for now. Even if the baby needed a diaper change, she could handle it from the middle row seat for now.

The van entered the tunnel, actually one of four tubes which comprise the multi-lane tunnel under the Patapsco River. The twins looked around at the lights and walls of the tunnel. Anthony was fascinated.

"Ima, are we _under_ the water?" he queried.

Ziva nodded, "We are under the river and the river bed. When the tunnel was built, the workers dug a trench. They placed the sections of the tunnel in the trench and then covered it up with the dirt and silt that had been removed to make the surface of the river bed almost the same as it was before the tunnel was built."

"That is neat," he looked at the reflective tiles lining the tunnel walls and roof. "How does it stay on the bottom of the river?"

"All the concrete is a weight to hold it down," she smiled at her curious son's questions. "The shape of the tunnel also makes it very strong and helps it resist the pressure of all the earth and water from above."

Tony and Tali were listening to the conversation between Anthony and Ziva as Beth and Rivka watched the shiny lights and tiles pass by.

"One thing that is unique about the Fort McHenry tunnel is that it is not straight, like most tunnels. This one is actually constructed with a curve. The tunnel was chosen instead of a bridge because of the historic site of Fort McHenry. That's where Francis Scott Key wrote _The Star-Spangled Banner_ ," Tony added to the history lesson for the kids.

As the van pulled out into the sunlight again, the little girls rubbed their eyes. Rivka spotted LJ nursing, and pointed to the baby.

"Bef, baby eat," she announced to her sister. "Ima, bruhfuh hungee?"

Anthony was seated behind Ziva, so he couldn't see his baby brother. "He eats a lot, Ima," the boy commented. "Did I eat as much as LJ?"

Ziva smiled at her children's curiosity, "Anthony you ate more than your baby brother at this age. You were almost always hungry. Yes, Rivka, LJ is hungry because he is busy growing; his body needs lots of milk to make him have strong bones and muscles. Before we know it, LJ will be starting to explore his world."

Tony happened to catch a glimpse in the rear view mirror as Ziva lifted the baby to her shoulder to burp him. Those dark curls on the little guy's head amazed his Abba; each time Tony really looked at his fifth miracle, he thought that this one really was a mix of the best of him and Ziva. As his wife shifted the baby on her shoulder, he saw the little boy's face. He grinned at the thought that he and Ziva made such cute kids.

"Him need milk from Ima," Beth told her twin and older brother. "Him grow big. Den he play wif us."

Tony noticed the first sign for the Maryland House travel stop area, "About ten miles to the Maryland House; do we need to stop?" He glanced back at Ziva who was still burping LJ; the baby had his fist in his mouth and was sucking his fingers as his Ima gently patted his back.

"I'm good to wait until Delaware," she replied. She turned to the kids in the back row, "Anyone need to go potty?"

"Nope," Anthony gave his mother a thumbs' up gesture. The twins shook their heads.

"I'm good, Abba," Tali added from the front seat.

Ziva noticed her husband grinning, "What is so funny?"

"Us," he replied, "who woulda thought we'd fall into parent-speak like old pros?"

"Before these five, not I," she replied with a chuckle. LJ started rutting on her shoulder so she eased him into position to nurse some more. "After the first one, it became second nature, did it not?"

Not quite thirty minutes later, Tony eased into the exit lane for the Delaware House service plaza off of the interstate. Ziva checked that the little girls had shoes on and toys put up out of the way. Anthony gave his Ima a sleepy look; he had almost dozed off. LJ was in his carrier looking around.

"Break time," Tony announced as he pulled the van into a parking slot. "Tali, Anthony, you two buddy up. Rivka and Beth, you two keep Ima from getting lost. I got LJ and the diaper bag." The two little girls giggled in the back row of seats. Abba was funny!

He turned to Ziva, "Family restroom?" She nodded; it was always easier to use one of the family-designated areas than to split up into the men's and ladies' restrooms. One of the reasons he chose this particular stop was its multiple family restrooms.

As Ziva led the family to the building, a twin on each side, the little girls spotted the signs for familiar fast food restaurants.

"Ima, we eat?" Riv pointed to the signs. "Me hungee."

Anthony heard his younger sister's comments as he and Tali followed Ima; he held his big sister's hand. "Food? I'm hungry, too, Ima!"

"Mmm, eat, hungee!" Beth added to her siblings requests for food.

"We have snacks for everyone in the diaper bag; but, first stop is the restrooms," Ziva informed her brood. No one could deny that these five were Tony's children; they had all inherited the DiNozzo appetite. She opened the door to one of the available family restrooms and herded the kids inside. Tony followed the kids and gave his wife a quick kiss as he passed by her with LJ in his baby carrier and the diaper bag slung on the opposite shoulder.

After the two older kids used the two stalls, Ziva and Tony each took a twin into a stall as Tali and Anthony sat on the padded bench with the baby carrier between them. Tony sent Rivka out to wash her hands and took his turn. He came out of the stall to the little girls holding their noses and giggling.

"Abba, baby do stinky," Beth tugged on his pants leg.

Rivka rushed over to her Ima as Ziva exited her stall, "Baby bruhfuh stinky, Ima. Big stinky." She held her nose as she spoke.

"I got this one," Tony looked over to his wife. "You can take the other kids out to that indoor play area if you want and let them burn off some energy." He gathered the baby from his carrier and set him on the changing station platform. Ziva handed her husband the wipes and a fresh diaper before taking the older four out to the play area.

Tony quickly changed the baby's diaper, and dropped the soiled diaper, used wipes, and paper towels into a plastic bag from the superstore and tied it shut before dropping it in the waste receptacle. He buckled LJ back into his carrier and pocketed the packet of wipes to put back in the diaper bag. He found Ziva with the diaper bag in her lap watching their four climbing on the play equipment.

"All okay?" she glanced up as he approached her.

"Yeah, except the restroom didn't have a toxic waste disposal," Tony quipped.

Ziva smirked, "He _is_ your child…" She motioned to the older kids, "They are having fun; maybe another ten minutes or so, yes?" as Tony sat next to her and placed LJ's carrier on his lap.

"Works for me; burn off some energy and they will be less antsy for the remainder of the drive. We should have about an hour and a half to go."


	2. Meeting a New Generation

Chapter 2 – Meeting a New Generation

After running around the play area, the kids climbed back in the van. Ziva handed each child a packet of animal crackers and a juice box for a snack. She kept an eye on the twins to be sure they didn't squeeze the juice box too hard and have a geyser of juice spill out.

Tony eased back onto I-95 watching for the signs to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and then the New Jersey Turnpike. The four younger children all dozed off and Tali played a game on her tablet. Ziva closed her eyes to rest and also fell asleep.

She awoke when Tony slowed to pass through the EZ-Pass toll booth at exit 8A off the Turnpike. "That was fast," she commented.

"Goes faster when you are sleeping, Sweetcheeks," he grinned at her and followed the signs towards Jamesburg, and the Senior Living complex where Aunt Isabella resided. "And, yes, you _were_ asleep, right Tals?"

Tali nodded, "Snoring…" She turned off the power on her tablet to watch the sights along the new road; much more interesting than the trees and pavement of the Turnpike.

Tony followed the GPS directions and turned to enter the Senior Living Complex. At the main gate, he showed the guard his drivers' license, "We're visiting Isabella DiNozzo, in, um, suite, um…"

"Eleven sixty eight," Ziva reminded him from her middle row seat. "Do you need my drivers' license as well?"

"Same family?" the guard looked at Tony.

"Yeah, my wife and kids."

The guard tapped her tablet, "Okay, you're good to go." She handed Tony a parking pass hanger for the rear view mirror. "Make sure this is visible when you park. At the Y, go to the left, building eleven is the third one on the right. You can park anywhere with white or yellow lined spaces. Enjoy your visit." She waved them through the gate.

In the parking lot, Tony parked as close as he could to the main entrance to his aunt's building. Luckily he found a spot two away from the line of handicapped spaces; with three little ones, plus Tali and Anthony, the closer to the door the better. Before unlocking the doors, he turned to his family.

"We're here; Aunt Isabella lives in this building. There are lots of older people living here, so we need to be on our best behavior. That means no running and always using inside voices," he made eye contact with the two little girls as he spoke.

"Old like Grandducky was?" Anthony asked.

"Yes, and some even older," Ziva replied. "We are visiting their home, so we need to be respectful and mind our manners at all times."

Tony added, "Yep, Aunt Isabella is eighty four or eighty five, I think. Tal, Anthony, usual buddy up with the twins please. Zi, want me to take the diaper bag, and the girls' backpacks?"

"That is fine; I will take LJ in his carrier," Ziva made sure the kids' toys were all put away in backpacks as Tony unlocked the doors. He unsnapped the latches on the baby carrier as Ziva climbed out of her side and helped Anthony, Rivka, and Beth out of the side sliding door. "Riv, Beth, go with Anthony and Tali on the sidewalk, please. Buddy time!"

Ziva handed Anthony his backpack and placed the two for the little girls on the seat she had occupied. She put the diaper bag on the floor in front of the seat so Tony could grab it easily. Tony shut the doors on the driver's side and carried LJ to his Ima. He was handing off the carrier when loud children interrupted.

"NO, ANT, NO HAND," Riv stomped her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ima, she called me Ant again, and she won't hold my hand," Anthony tried to grab his sister's hand.

"NO HAND," the obstinate toddler turned away from her older brother and pouted.

"Rivka, take your brother's hand, please," Ziva walked towards the kids as the toddler stomped her feet yet again and shook her head.

"NO HAND."

Ziva sighed, "Rivka Abigail, take your brother's hand. You know the rules of buddy system." She really did not want to start off a visit to the children's great aunt with a time-out for an ornery almost two year old. "It is either you hold Anthony's hand or you wear the harness and leash."

Rivka turned to look at her Ima glaring at her; even at twenty one months she knew better than to defy the 'Ima glare.' Besides, Abba was holding up the body harness and leash that she absolutely hated, even though her parents used the device to keep the toddlers from wandering off in stores and crowds.

"Hmph," she huffed and took hold of her brother's hand. She gave the dreaded harness the evil eye before her father stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

Tony grabbed the bags from the middle seat and pressed the door close button on the key fob and then locked the van. "Okay, DiNozzos, let's go find Aunt Isabella!" He led the family to the building; the kids walked between their parents, with Ziva in the rear of the line.

Once all were inside the lobby, Tony approached the reception desk, "DiNozzo party of seven invading army. Hi, we're here to visit Isabella DiNozzo in 1168. I'm her nephew; she is expecting us."

The desk person looked on her computer screen, "Anthony DiNozzo and family?" At Tony's nod, she continued, "Go down to the end of the hallway to your right. Turn left and your aunt's apartment is about half way down on the right. I'll let her know you are on the way down."

"Thanks," Tony smiled and turned to his family. "Let's go find Aunt Isabella!" They started traversing the hallway. Riv broke loose from Anthony's grip and began running ahead of the others. Tony and Ziva shared a look; then Tony spoke sharply, "FREEZE." All but Rivka stopped. "Rivka, I said freeze," he warned the toddler.

She slowed but did not stop right away. The little girl was a good fifty feet away from her family when she finally did come to a stop and turn around. She grinned at her parents as Tali and Anthony noted to each other that their sister was in trouble.

"Wiv bad," Beth looked up at her big sister. "Bef good."

"Yep, you are being a good girl," Tali squeezed her little sister's hand slightly. "Thank you."

Tony handed Ziva the diaper bag and took several large steps to catch up with the runaway toddler. "Rivka Abigail, when I say freeze, I mean FREEZE," he reached her just as she was about to run off again. He dropped the two backpacks and scooped up the misbehaving toddler. She let out a squeak of annoyance at being caught.

"Harness or I hold you," he scolded her. She pouted and squirmed in his grip. "Hold you, it is, little Ninja." Tali handed her father the dropped bags, "Thanks, Tals."

"DOWN, ABBA," Riv tried one last time to squirm from her father's arms before leaning against him in defeat. She sighed and pouted more.

The family reached the adjoining hallway without further incident. As they turned the corner, Tony spotted an elderly woman coming towards the family; he would know his Aunt Isabella anywhere. He broke into a huge grin as she looked up and spotted her nephew.

"Tonio!" she called out. "Oh my, such a beautiful family!" She smiled at the kids and Ziva.

When Tony reached his aunt, he placed Rivka on the carpeted floor and embraced his relative, "You haven't changed a bit." She kissed his cheek and then tapped his face with her hand.

"Ah, a true DiNozzo, he knows how to flatter a woman," she grinned. "You are so tall, Tonio. YOU have changed…" She laughed at her own joke and looked at the kids.

"Aunt Isabella, meet my wife Ziva, and Tali, Anthony, Rivka, Beth, and LJ," he indicated each one as he introduced his family to the elderly woman. "Family, meet Aunt Isabella."

"Let's go inside," the old woman tucked her arm in her nephew's free arm and the family walked to the open door of the apartment. "Tonio, your wife is _bellissima_! And the children are adorable. I still cannot believe that you have such a wonderful family."

Anthony was the first to the door of the apartment; he waited for the others before entering. Once inside, he asked, "Do you have Wi-Fi, Aunt Isabella? Do you have cable or satellite television? Do you have an Xbox?"

"Anthony, give everyone a chance to get settled in before you start playing on the tablet," Ziva was about to apologize to Tony's aunt for her son's questions.

Aunt Isabella put her hand on Ziva's arm, "Such a curious boy, just like his father. Yes, I do have Wi-Fi and cable TV; let me find the information for your parents." She rummaged in a stack of papers on the counter and handed Ziva a sheet of paper. "This has the Wi-Fi information so you can connect your devices. I keep it handy for the grandchildren when they come to visit."

"Thank you," Ziva replied. "Anthony, we will get your tablet connected shortly. Come visit first."

Backpacks were put on the coffee table in the living room as Aunt Isabella showed off her apartment, "It is small, but it is all I need. Just the kitchenette, dining area, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and the patio. Tonio, nowhere as big as the house you remember, but that was too much for this old lady to keep up with."

After the 'grand tour' the family moved to the living room; Ziva set up the Wi-Fi access on Anthony and Tali's tablets. The children all found a place to sit quietly and play with the toys they'd brought, read, or for the older two, play games on the tablets. Tony set LJ's carrier on the floor by his aunt's chair.

He lifted the baby from the carrier, "Would you like to hold him?" He handed the baby to Aunt Isabella as Ziva sat on the sofa beside the old lady's recliner. Tony sat next to his wife as his aunt cooed at the little boy in her arms.

"LJ, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Leroy Jackson," Ziva responded. "He was one month old yesterday."

"I can see where he gets his dark curls," Aunt Isabella smiled at Ziva. "Are his eyes turning brown?"

Tony nodded, "Yep; only Tali has my green eyes. The rest of them have Ziva's brown eyes. All but Anthony have some curl to their hair also. Anthony has the straight baby-fine hair from me."

"And the twins? Is Beth named for your mother, Tonio?"

"Yes, ma'am; Elizabeth Shannon and Rivka Abigail are named for their grandmothers," Tony grinned at his aunt. "And Anthony carries the family name: Anthony D. DiNozzo, the third. Tali's full name is Talia Elisheva; so she is also named for my mom."

"Elizabeth would be so proud of you, Tonio. And she would have adored her grandchildren," Aunt Isabella got a far-away look in her eyes as she reminisced. "Your mother loved babies; she doted on you and your sister when you were babies. After Maggie passed, Elizabeth would hold whatever baby was too young to be at the table during the family Christmas dinners…"

Aunt Isabella faced Ziva, "Elizabeth would definitely have loved you, my dear. Not just for making her son so happy, but for who you are. I have enjoyed talking with you over the phone and now to meet you in person."

"Thank you," Ziva smiled. "It is an honor to meet you, Mrs. DiNozzo."

"What is this formality? Aunt Isabella, please, dear. I insist! You are family."

Ziva nodded, "I… thank you." She was about to say more when she noticed Beth standing in the kitchen area with her back slightly turned. The little girl was fiddling with something in her hands, and then she put something in her mouth. Ziva pointed in the direction of the child and stood up. "Beth, what do you have?"

"Nuhfin," the toddler spoke with her mouth full. At her mother's stern look she added, "Cah-dee."

"Open your mouth please," Ziva put her hand under the little girl's chin and tilted her face upward.

Beth shook her head and clamped her lips together.

"Elizabeth, open your mouth," Ziva used her hand to pinch the child's jaw slightly to force her to open her mouth. When she looked, the child had four or five pieces of candy in her mouth. Ziva put her palm under the child's open mouth, "Empty your mouth, please. I want all of the candy in my hand, now."

The toddler swallowed several of the candy pieces and replied, "NO. Mine candy."

"Where did you get the candy?" Ziva asked. "Show me where you found it." She followed the little girl into the bedroom and watched her point at an overturned candy dish on the nightstand. "You just took the candy without asking permission; that is wrong. You will sit in time-out for two minutes." Ziva led the toddler to the living room. She picked her up and sat her on the end of the sofa.

Beth's lower lip trembled and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Me saw-wee, Ima." She sniffled and hung her head.

"Two minutes; then we talk," Ziva reminded her youngest daughter. She turned to Aunt Isabella, "I put the rest of the candy and the dish on your dresser so little hands cannot help themselves any longer. She will apologize after her time-out."

"It's okay," Aunt Isabella hated to see the little girl crying. "I have plenty more."

Tony added his two cents' worth, "We are trying to enforce respect for others and their belongings with all of them. She should have not taken the candy, and she needs to learn that she just can't take others' things without asking."

"Bef kwyin?" Rivka tapped her father's knee. "Bef bad?"

"She took something that isn't hers," Tony explained to the older twin. "She's in time-out."

"Okay." Riv went back to her toys and watched her sister from the floor.

When the two minutes were done, Ziva had Beth apologize to her great aunt. Isabella handed LJ to his mother and motioned for the little girl to come sit in her lap.

"Let me tell you a story about your father and candy," the old woman began. "He was about two and a half that Christmas that he ate so much candy that he made himself sick. We had all the family at Uncle Vinnie's house that year. Anthony Senior had given everyone expensive European chocolates for gifts. We were in the living room after dinner, and the adults had eggnog that was mixed with brandy. The children all had hot cocoa or non-alcoholic eggnog. Several of the boxes of candy got opened for the family to share after dessert."

Tali, Anthony, and Rivka came over and sat at their great aunt's feet to listen as she continued the story. "Your father had been playing with the train that ran under the Christmas tree. Nobody was really paying all that much attention to him. He started eating the chocolates from the boxes and the adults didn't say anything. He must have gotten thirsty because he drank the last bit of eggnog from Uncle Vinnie's cup. Then he helped himself to more candy and more eggnog from another adult's cup.

"By the time anyone realized what he was doing, he'd eaten close to an entire box of the chocolates. By finishing off the last bit of eggnog in the various cups, he also managed to get himself slightly drunk. We all noticed when he began getting really silly and walking as though he could not stand up," she laughed as Tony put his hand over his face and groaned. Ziva smirked at her husband; the stories had begun!

"Suddenly, Tonio put his hand over his mouth and ran to the kitchen; he barely made it to the trash can before all of that chocolate and eggnog decided to come back up. The poor boy looked absolutely green after that; he slept the rest of the day and did not have any supper with the others." Aunt Isabella looked over at her nephew, "He never ate that type of candy again, that I know of."


	3. The Stories We Tell

Chapter 3 – The Stories We Tell

The kids and Ziva all laughed at the story of little Tony eating the candy and drinking the eggnog. Tony shook his head and groaned quietly. But, it _did_ explain his aversion to eggnog and a certain brand of European chocolates.

After Aunt Isabella finished the story, Anthony piped in, "That was funny about Abba. But all that talk about chocolate made me hungry! When are we eating lunch?"

"The dining room in the building next door is open at eleven; they are serving pizza buffet today, if you would like to go there," Aunt Isabella suggested to Ziva and Tony. "Pizza is not true New York style, but it is good. And you can add your own toppings."

"PIZZA!" Anthony looked at his mother. "Please say yes; I want to eat pizza."

Tali added her opinion, "I could eat pizza for lunch also. Add your own toppings sounds interesting. Please, Ima?"

Rivka and Beth heard 'pizza' and jumped up and down enthusiastically. "Pizza, pizza," they chorused as they jumped.

"Inside voices," Ziva reminded the little girls. She turned to her husband, "The pizza sounds like a winner to me. Is that okay with you?"

"I _never_ say 'no' to good pizza, Sweetcheeks," he grinned at her. "Do we need to make a pit stop first?" He nodded at the toddlers in particular.

"Good idea." Ziva took the two little girls to the bathroom as Tony settled LJ in his carrier and strapped him in. The little boy was still asleep, but he knew the baby would be awake for nursing soon.

Tali and Anthony took their turns as Ziva took the shawl she used when nursing the baby outside the home from the diaper bag. She put it and a burp cloth in a smaller detachable bag with a packet of wipes and two fresh diapers.

"Are you planning to stay for dinner?" Aunt Isabella queried Ziva.

"Yes, we had planned to take you out somewhere, if that is okay with you," Ziva replied.

Aunt Isabella got a twinkle in her eyes, "Oh, I have something _much_ better…" She made eye contact with her nephew, "I made a pan of lasagna to heat for dinner. Plus I have cannoli made from Uncle Angelo's recipe by your cousin Dori."

Tony grinned, "Where? We can just skip right to the cannoli; that is okay with me!" He just about salivated at the thought of one of Uncle Angelo's cannoli.

Aunt Isabella patted his arm, "You will _not_ eat all of the cannoli, Anthony D. DiNozzo, Junior. Plus, you must eat your meal first!" She grinned and Ziva could tell another story would be told.

"This sounds like a story," she quipped and Aunt Isabella grinned back at her. Ziva looked around for the kids, making sure each of the four older ones were ready to go to eat. She took hold of a twin with each hand as Tali and Anthony held Aunt Isabella's hands. Tony had the small diaper bag and LJ in his carrier.

"Oh, it is," the elderly woman smiled and her eyes crinkled at the sides. Ziva could see a spark of mischief in the woman's eyes as well. She locked her apartment door and the family walked the hallway to the connecting passageway to the next building over.

"It was Thanksgiving, I believe. We were all gathered at our house, Elizabeth, Anthony Senior, Tonio, my family, and Vinnie's family. Vinnie brought a huge turkey and the others brought side dishes. Angelo made pies, cakes and cannoli for dessert. All of the desserts were in covered trays or plates and set on a table in the back kitchen to keep them cool. The women were bustling about to get the meal on the table and Tonio tried to stay out of the way. The men were talking about the football games and channel surfing to find an interesting game.

"Tonio wandered out to the table of desserts. He wandered into the kitchen and was shooed out. He was maybe five at the time? I know he was in school that year, because he brought the picture of a turkey made by tracing his hand for me. He'd made the picture in school. "

"That was kindergarten; I remember making that picture," Tony interjected. "Mom suggested that I give it to you for Thanksgiving Day because Dad threatened to throw it out when we hung it on the bulletin board in the kitchen." He held the door to the building with the dining room open for the others.

"Toda," Ziva brushed her lips on his as she passed through the door. "Sorry about the painful memory," she added quietly. He shrugged at her; he had learned that bringing the memories to the surface could hurt, but it also meant letting them go as unpleasantness and heartache. How he sometimes wished he'd learned _that_ lesson earlier in his life…

"So, Tonio tried to find something to do while waiting for dinner to be ready and stay out of the way at the same time. Back in those days, there was no internet or tablets to entertain a young boy, so he had to devise his own entertainment. There was only one television in the house, so he couldn't watch a show or movie. Back in those days, we had an antenna on the roof of the house to get the channels from the City, and I think one or two from the Island. "

Anthony looked up at his great aunt, "Abba is _old_ , but not as old as you."

"Only _one_ TV?" Tali asked incredulously. "We have three at our house. And satellite and cable _and_ streaming… Abba, how did you manage to live with just a few choices?"

"That's the neat thing about New York City and the metropolitan area; we had seven UHF and eight VHF channels from which to choose. Back then fifteen channels was a _lot_!" Tony reminisced. "WOR channel nine was one of my favorites because they had movies almost every day…"

"Back to the story," Aunt Isabella led the family in the direction of the dining room. "Tonio had to find a way to keep out of trouble and entertain himself. He wandered out to the table of desserts again." She entered an open double doorway and skimmed the room to find an open table large enough for them. She spotted a table with eight chairs not too far from the pizza buffet.

No sooner had they seated themselves at the table than a young woman, probably around twenty, came to the table. "Happy Saturday, Mrs. DiNozzo. Is this your family you told me about?"

"Yes, Heather; my nephew Tony and his wife Ziva and their children. I will have my usual to drink and we are all having the pizza buffet," she replied.

"Welcome; what can I get for you to drink with your meal?" Heather asked Ziva.

"I will have a large glass of milk, please. And milk for the children as well," Ziva smiled at the waitress. "If you have lidded cups and straws that would be perfect."

"We do have lids and straws," Heather responded. "And for you, sir?"

Tony thought a few seconds, if he ordered a soft drink, he _knew_ the kids would want to sample his beverage and then order their own sodas. He and Ziva shared a look as he contemplated his choice of beverage. "Just water is fine for me. Thank you."

"I'll be back soon with your drinks; help yourselves to the pizza buffet!"

Tali looked to her great aunt, "Will we hear more about the cannoli story? What did Abba do?"

Isabella chuckled, "Oh there is a lot more to come; go get your food and I will continue the story as we eat." She motioned to Ziva, "I will stay here with the baby so you can get some food."

"Thank you, Aunt Isabella. Tali, Beth, with me; Anthony and Rivka, go with Abba to get your pizza," she led the others to the food bar. Tony and Ziva helped the four older kids fill their plates and carry them back to the table; beverages were waiting at their places.

"Go get your plates," Tony told his aunt and wife. "I will stay with the kids and get my plateful when you come back." LJ was awake and watching the movement around the table. The waitress had put booster seats in the little girls' chairs; Tony helped them get seated, cut the toddlers' pizza into smaller pieces, and checked that the other two were good. All four kids started chowing down on pizza.

"Now back to Tonio and the cannoli," Aunt Isabella announced as the others bit into their pizza slices. "He must have gotten curious about the desserts, because we found most of the containers opened part way to all the way. But it was the cannoli that was the biggest clue; he must have eaten seven or eight of them before anyone figured out what he was doing in the back kitchen area. Elizabeth was furious at him, but Uncle Angelo convinced her not to punish the boy."

Tony looked sheepish, "They _were_ good cannoli; Uncle Angelo's recipe was the best by miles. I've never had better cannoli."

"I will give you his recipe," the old woman retorted. "Then you can make and eat as many as you want! Although, it might change your figure some," she winked at Ziva. Both women laughed as Ziva patted her husband's stomach.

"Abba, why did you like your uncle's cannoli the best?" Tali was curious. She loved the cannoli that they occasionally bought at the Catania Italian bakery in DC as a treat. Her Abba refused to buy them at any of the local supermarkets or superstores. Something about not real cannoli cream for the filling…

Tony smacked his lips together at the memories, "The taste; real cannoli cream made with mascarpone and ricotta, real butter and white wine in the pastry dough… and Uncle Angelo made sure the oil for frying the rolls was at just the right temperature. I _know_ ; I watched him make them many times!"

"Aunt Isabella, I think you need to hide the cannoli when we go back to your apartment so Abba does not eat them all. I want some too!" Anthony had such a serious face that both Tony and Ziva had to hide grins and try not to laugh.

"Do all of your stories about my Abba involve food?" Tali had connected the dots with the stories they'd heard so far. "Is that why he likes to eat a lot of food?"

"Anthony, my apartment is small enough that _if_ your father finds the cannoli, we will all know. Tali, a lot of the stories are about food, yes, but he also was a good little helper every time he visited us. He helped at the house and at the bakery. Angelo didn't mind having Tonio around at all because he helped and he also knew when to stay out of the way. And such a polite boy, always polite to the customers and family. When our regular customers would learn that Tonio was coming to visit, they would stop by the bakery even if it wasn't their regular day just to see him.

"He would help put their pastries in boxes or hold the string with his finger so I could tie the knot. When the ladies came in to buy bread for dinner, he would slide the loaves into the bread bags for me. Also always thanked the customers for coming in to buy from us. Now, when it came to taking bread or pastries home for dinner, then I had to watch him. If I let him carry the bread, he always managed to break off the ends of the loaves and eat them on the way home.

"When he stayed with us for almost a week when Elizabeth passed, God rest her soul, Tonio was happiest at the bakery. He would always make sure that Uncle Angelo made extra bread or rolls so we could take some home for dinner. Tonio, do you remember the special cannoli and rolls?"

"Yeah," Tony got really quiet and Ziva could see his eyes tearing up. She placed a hand on his as LJ nursed under the shawl.

"Uncle Angelo made those special rolls that he told me were praying arms; they looked like soft pretzels…" he wiped at his eyes. "The cinnamon cannoli were always my favorites, and he made sure I had one every night for dessert…" He stood and went over to hug his aunt, "I always _knew_ that I was loved at your house. Grazie."

"I wish I had fought to keep you at our house," she returned the hug and dabbed at her eyes with her paper napkin.

"Water under the bridge," he replied. "I would be a different person, but I turned out okay in the long run."

Ziva put a hand on the older woman's shoulder, "Thank you for all that you did to make him into the person he is today; the man I love would not be who he is without your influence."

Aunt Isabella sighed, "I _should_ have done more; but as you say, it's in the past. You are here, Tonio, and you have brought me six new family members to love. Thank you Ziva for loving my nephew; I can see how much he loves you and how much you love him. You are good for each other."

"Abba, can I have more pizza?" Anthony held up his empty plate. "Please?" Tony nodded and he took Tali and Anthony for a second round of pizza from the buffet bar. He also filled his own plate a second time, and included a slice of Ziva's favorite to take back to the table.

As he sat down, Aunt Isabella asked the kids if they wanted to hear the story of their father's blue bear. All four replied with an enthusiastic, "YES!"

Ziva grinned as she shifted LJ back under the shawl to nurse some more after burping him. He latched on quickly and began sucking greedily. No one could accuse this DiNozzo child of not having any appetite!

"He still has his bear," Ziva added. "It has a place of honor on the book case in our room, next to my blue bear that I won at a carnival many years ago. It was in a box his father dropped off at our work when we were at NCIS."

"Oh, yes, my blue bear…" Tony flashed back to the day his mother won the bear at a street carnival in New York's Little Italy. "I was three or four at the time Mom won it for me."

"Yes, Tonio, you were three that year. You and Elizabeth went to the street festival in Little Italy with me, Dori, and one of my friends from church and her children. You were fascinated by the food, the lights, the entertainment, the bright colors, and the games," Isabella started to tell the story. "Everyone was trying the games except Elizabeth; she just hung back with you in her lap and watched the rest of us. It wasn't until you spotted that blue bear at the ring toss game that she even showed much interest in the games.

"You pointed to that bear and told her that she would win it for you; those exact words. She was surprised at first and was going to just move on, but you insisted. ' _Mommy, you have to win that blue bear. For me, please?_ ' You were insistent. She shrugged and looked over at me. I told her to give it a try; especially since you were so sure she would win it."

Tony grinned, "I remember I just about begged her to get it for me. I think she got a bit annoyed with me for being so persistent."

Aunt Isabella smiled at her nephew, "Perhaps she did, but if so, she channeled that annoyance into the best ring toss shots I have ever seen. She got all five rings on the same peg; the _highest score_ peg at that. The booth operator was stunned. He was about to count out all the tickets she'd won when she stopped him. ' _I want that blue bear for my son; keep the rest or donate to kids in need_ ,' she told him. He asked if she was sure that is what she wanted; she had won enough tickets to get one of the much more expensive prizes if she wanted, but she just shook her head and repeated that she wanted the blue bear for Tonio and nothing else."

Ziva smiled at her husband; she could see he was remembering that day. Now that she heard more of the story of the blue bear, she realized just how much the bear meant to young Tony. No wonder he had cherished the toy and even now sometimes stopped at the shelf where it rested and picked the bear up for a minute to cuddle it.

"You had that blue bear every time you came to visit us, Tonio. You would hide it in your suitcase so your father didn't know you had it. Do you remember Uncle Angelo going to get the bear when you came to stay with us after your mother went into the coma at the hospital? You were so afraid that your father would take it away." Aunt Isabella patted Tony's arm with a comforting touch. "I dare say that bear helped you through some tough times."

"Oh, more than you know… so much more than anyone knows…"


	4. Girl Talk

Chapter 4 – Girl Talk

The group walked the return path to Aunt Isabella's apartment. By the time the family arrived back, the two little girls were rubbing at their eyes. Knowing the two would fight sleep as long as possible, Tony tuned the TV to a children's channel hoping they would nod off while watching.

Tali and Anthony played quietly with their tablets and also watched the TV show as their sisters became engrossed in the cartoons. Tony put baby LJ in his lap, with the baby's head by his knees and cooed and smiled at the little boy. LJ watched his Abba and kicked his legs and swatted with his arms.

Ziva and Aunt Isabella were in the kitchen area, where Aunt Isabella was showing off her cookbooks. Some of them had been in the DiNozzo family from generations prior. One of the cookbooks, in Italian, had belonged to the DiNozzo grandmother of Senior, Angelo, and Vinnie. Isabella offered it to Ziva.

"You take it, Ziva. I _know_ you will get much enjoyment. I don't cook much anymore and my kids don't seem to want any of the things I have. I even offered the cookbook to my grandkids and not a one was interested," Aunt Isabella sighed. "My mother-in-law gave this to me on my wedding day…"

Ziva tried to refuse, "You should keep it; especially if you have good memories associated with the cookbook. It belongs in the family."

The older woman took Ziva's hands in hers, "My dear, _you are family_. You are a DiNozzo; you have just as much right to this as anyone. Perhaps even more as the wife of the son of the first born. I _want_ you to have this." She placed the cookbook in Ziva's hands, "Welcome to the DiNozzo extended family, Ziva, my dear. You make it better by just being a part of this family."

"I…I…" Ziva was speechless; she wrapped the older woman in a hug. "Thank you; grazie… this means so much to me."

Aunt Isabella returned the hug warmly, "When you marry a DiNozzo, you get a whole family. That is what Maria told me on my wedding day when she handed me the cookbook. She told me that Bella said the same thing to her on her own wedding day. Perhaps one day you will pass it along to one of your sons' wives or even one of your grandchildren."

"That is a long way in the future," Ziva replied. "Anthony is just four and one half and LJ is only one month old. I will cherish this." She followed Aunt Isabella to the living room; as the elderly woman sat in her recliner, Ziva tucked the cookbook into one of the pockets of the diaper bag. She glanced over at Tony on the sofa. He had LJ cradled against his chest; both were sound asleep.

"He always was a good sleeper once he got to sleep," Isabella joked quietly. "I think your twins take after their father." She pointed at the two little girls on the floor. Beth was asleep and Rivka was fighting sleep; her eyes closed and her head sank to the floor. "You can put them on the bed if you want."

Ziva smiled, "I think I will let them be; if I try to move the girls they will surely wake up and then fight sleeping again. What is that saying about letting sleeping children lie?" She turned to Aunt Isabella and noticed that the woman had her eyes closed.

Anthony was on his side watching the cartoons on the TV; from the way he was cuddling his Ferrari bear, Ziva figured the boy would be asleep within ten to fifteen minutes. Only Tali showed no sign of napping; rarely did she sleep during the day anymore. Tali caught her Ima's eye and held up her tablet.

She quietly walked over to Ziva, "Ima, there's an upgrade for my favorite game; can I get it? Please?" The two moved to the kitchen table, where Ziva read the details about the app that Tali wanted. She entered the parental control code and tapped to download the upgrade for her daughter.

Mother and daughter played the new game together for about thirty minutes while the others napped. Tony woke up and eased himself up to keep from waking LJ. He gently placed the baby in his carrier and stood up and stretched.

"Whatcha doin'?" he approached the table where Tali and Ziva were sitting.

"Playing a game, Abba," Tali replied without looking up from the screen. "I'm beating the snot out of Ima, too. She lost all her weapons to my raid."

Ziva shrugged as Tony cocked an eyebrow, "It is a _game_ , Tony. She is better at it than me."

"Ninja losing her weapons; never thought I'd see the day," he joked. Ziva punched him in the arm. "Ow! What was that for?" he complained.

"I left that life a long time ago," she retorted. "You of all people should know that." She turned to the screen, "Did you just take my last life, Tali?"

The daughter flashed her DiNozzo grin at her mother, "Yep! You were a sitting duck; distracted by Abba. Thanks, Abba!" Tali held up her hand and high-fived with her father.

Anthony sat up and rubbed his eyes; he saw his parents and older sister in the kitchen area. He looked around and got his bearings, realizing that he wasn't at home. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. "I'm hungry, Ima. Can I have a snack?"

"Very soon; when your sisters wake up from their naps, you may all have the snacks we brought," Ziva dug in the diaper bag and pulled out the last four juice boxes and the four individual containers of goldfish crackers, apple slices, and M&Ms. She placed them on the table and watched Anthony as he eyed the food. "If you eat yours now, then when the others have a snack there won't be any additional for you."

Anthony sighed, "How soon will they wake up? I'm **hungry**!"

"You ate six slices of pizza; how can you be that hungry?" Tali teased her younger brother. "See, even Abba isn't hungry yet." She motioned to their father by the patio doors.

"He's just waiting for food, like me," Anthony retorted. "He's better at pretending he isn't starving…"

Ziva had to stifle a snort of laughter; her kids had their Abba pegged. She checked on LJ, who was still sleeping and then the little girls. Rivka opened her eyes as her Ima leaned over her.

"IMA; hungee!" the toddler stretched and yawned. "Bef, wake up. Snack time!" Ziva grabbed the little girl's hand just before she managed to poke her twin to wake the other toddler.

"Let her wake up on her own, Riv. You know how grouchy she is if we wake her up before she is ready to be awake," Ziva scolded gently.

Riv nodded, "Uh, huh. Like Abba gwow-chee." She grinned and pointed to her father.

Tony swung the toddler in the air and blew raspberries on her belly, "Who is grouchy? Hmm? Is it the _Grouchy Ladybug_?"

"No gwow-chee, Abba," the child laughed and squealed as her father tickled her. "Wiv no gwow-chee. Abba no gwow-chee. Ima no gwow-chee."

"TONY!" Ziva tried to get him to quiet down so that LJ, Beth, and Aunt Isabella wouldn't be awakened. She noticed the older woman stirring. "I am sorry if they woke you, Aunt Isabella. My big child is the one who seems to forget about using 'inside voices' more often than the children."

"Oh my, no need to apologize, dear," Aunt Isabella laughed from her recliner. "I love the sound of little ones laughing; so happy and so innocent. It is good to see him laughing; he was such a serious child except when he clowned around to avoid getting into trouble or to try to get out of trouble. It is good to see he still has his inner child."

Tony put Rivka back on her feet as Beth wrapped her arms around his leg, "Me turn; me turn." He scooped up the younger twin and within seconds had her giggling as he blew raspberries on her tummy. "Bef no gwow-chee," she asserted through peals of laughter.

Ziva felt a hand tugging on hers; she looked down at her older son, knowing exactly what was on his mind. "Yes, you may have snack now," she smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Thank you for being patient, motek."

Tony put the twins in the chairs at the table and then helped Anthony sit at one of the stools at the counter next to Tali. Ziva placed a juice box and container of snacks in front of each child; she barely set it down before the twins had their hands in the bowls. Anthony remembered to say thank you before he shoved a handful of goldfish crackers in his mouth.

"Perhaps they might be interested in playing on the swings out in the commons area when they are done with snacks," Aunt Isabella suggested. "Little ones need some time to burn off energy," she winked at Ziva. "And big kids do also."

Tony smirked at his wife and aunt, "No comment. But I do like the idea of taking these four outside for a while to burn off extra energy. Where are the swings?"

The elderly woman led her nephew to the patio doors, "If you go off the patio, they are to the right. Over between this building and the next. The management company put swing sets between several pairs of buildings knowing that many residents have young grandchildren and great-grandchildren come visit. Dori's grandson loves to swing, just like you did, Tonio."

She motioned to the kids to come by her recliner, "That reminds me of another story about your father." Four faces looked up at their great-aunt; she could see both parents reflected in the youngsters. "When Tonio was about four, he discovered the swing set in the backyard of our house. He had never been on a swing before and he was fascinated by the slide also. Your grandmother showed him how to make the swing move by himself and he stayed out in the yard for almost two hours playing on the swings.

"Several times, I looked out the kitchen window to see him grinning happily as he rode that swing back and forth. The slight breeze made his hair stand on end; he looked like he'd been in the bed the way it was mussed. He was laughing happily to himself as he made the swing go higher and higher. When I opened the back door to let him know that we would be eating dinner soon, he told me he was flying in the clouds."

Ziva looked over at her husband; she had felt the same way when she rode the swings at her elementary school. She wondered why she never knew that he had the same experience as a child; perhaps it was because he rarely talked about his childhood.

Aunt Isabella continued, "I told him that someone would call him inside when dinner was ready, and he gave me a huge grin. When it was time to eat, one of the kids, I think it was Dori, opened the door and called the boy in. She didn't wait for him to come inside, and he didn't. We were all sitting at the table ready to say the blessing, when Anthony Senior noticed that the boy was not at the table.

"Elizabeth got up to check for where he was, and noticed that he was still outside on the swings. She stormed out that back door ready to scold that boy. Anthony Senior apologized for his son's misbehavior, adding that the boy would be punished after the meal. Angelo tried to get his brother to see that Tonio was not misbehaving intentionally, he was just being a typical child, but the father would not listen. Anyhow, I went to the door to see if there was any problem and overheard the sweetest conversation between Tonio and his mother.

"Elizabeth was trying to get him off the swing; she finally had to stop the swing by grabbing the chain. Tonio pouted and then said, 'Mommy, you interrupted my visit with the little angel girl. She was in the clouds and smiled at me.' I thought Elizabeth had seen a ghost. She yanked Tonio off that swing and stood him in front of her. She tilted his chin up and made sure he had eye contact with her. 'Son, do not let your father hear you talk about angels. Please keep this between you and me.' His lower lip trembled and I could tell that she had scared him with the way she reacted.

"I was about to step in to ease the situation when Tonio hugged Elizabeth. 'Don't worry Mommy; she is happy even though she misses you.' I had to wipe the tears from my eyes. As far as I knew no one had told Tonio about his sister, yet he had seen her when he went 'flying in the clouds.' Elizabeth and I exchanged a knowing glance as she led Tonio inside to wash his hands so that we could start the meal."

Ziva squeezed Tony's hand; she wondered if he even remembered the incident from the look on his face. She wiped the tear from the corner of her eye and noticed LJ starting to fuss in his carrier.

"After that, whenever Tonio came to visit he played on those swings. He often would swing high and throw his head back and laugh the pure and innocent laughter of a child. We never talked about the first time on the swings again, Elizabeth and I, but I often wondered how much Tonio remembered," Isabella looked over at her nephew.

"I remember being happy on the swings; but I don't remember that conversation," he replied. "I just liked being able to play and feel like I was a free flying bird. I got goose bumps when you told about the angel girl. Somehow I _knew_ back then, but over the years I forgot. Wow."

LJ chose that moment to let out a wail; Ziva lifted the baby from his carrier and he rutted into her shoulder. She retrieved the shawl from the small diaper bag and settled on the sofa to nurse the baby.

"Baby hungee," Rivka tugged at her great-aunt's shirt hem. "Baby eat fwom Ima."

Beth joined her twin, "Yep. Baby get milk fwom Ima. Gwo big. Den him play wif me n Wiv."

"Who wants to go outside and go on the swings that are here?" Tony called out to the four kids. "We can go run outside and play and burn some excess energy." He looked over at Ziva who nodded her approval. "Come here, little Ninjas, so we can get our jackets on."

Twelve minutes later, everyone was finally ready to go out the back door to play. Tony made sure he had his phone and kissed Ziva before he followed the kids outside. "Give you and Aunt Isabella some peace for a bit," he murmured. "Don't tell too many bad stories about me while I'm gone," he grinned at his aunt. "Ziva doesn't need any more ammunition."

Outside, he pointed to the swing set and let the kids run in that direction as he followed behind.

Inside, Ziva shifted LJ to burp him. "Thank you for having us visit; I know bringing five rambunctious children into your quiet home is quite a change," Ziva said. "They can be a handful at times."

"Ziva, dear, never apologize for the miracles of love. You and Tonio – Tony – are wonderful parents. I can see how much love you have for each of your five and for each other," Isabella smiled and patted Ziva's arm. "He is a fantastic father; you would never know that he didn't have much of a father figure growing up."

"He tries his best; there are times when he is really and truly my sixth child…" Ziva chuckled, "The big kid who never grew up. We are lucky in that we have several friends from where we used to work who are very much family to us. He has brothers of the heart in Tim and Jimmy. I think that he never realized that he could have friends who did not try to use him for their own gain. And then, when they became like brothers to him, he let his heart open a bit more."

The old lady nodded, "And you should remember to give yourself the most credit for unlocking his heart. I can see the way you two interact, and I can hear it in his voice when he talks about you, he loves you with everything in him. You are soul-mates."

"Yes; he and I complete each other. We fill in the parts neither of us realized was missing until we came together. I never thought love could be so magical and so much hard work at the same time," Ziva reflected. LJ started rutting on her shoulder so she shifted the baby under the shawl again to nurse more. "He unlocked my heart as much as I unlocked his…"

"The good things in life are worth the fight," Isabella smiled at Ziva again. "I used to worry so about Tonio; so closed off from emotion. At his mother's funeral, Anthony Senior told him that 'DiNozzos don't cry.' I think that is when Tonio decided that he would shut down all emotions. I tried to hurry him away when Anthony and Angelo had words after the burial, but I know Tonio heard some of their conversation. Whatever was said was enough to drive a wedge between the brothers. When Anthony dumped Tonio at our house for Christmas the year the boy was ten, the two men had a huge argument and Anthony stormed out of our house. He slammed the front door so hard it broke the glass. Tonio apologized to us repeatedly thinking it was all his fault. He even offered to pay for the door to be repaired.

"Angelo was furious with Anthony and would not even consider trying to reconcile for Tonio's sake. When he found out a few months later that Anthony planned to send Tonio to boarding school, Angelo tried to reason with his brother over the telephone. Anthony hung up on him twice and then refused to take any calls from us. That Christmas visit was the last we saw Tonio.

"Several times, Angelo sent a message to Anthony offering to have the boy come spend holidays with us. We never got a response. I often wonder what would have happened if Angelo and I had fought for custody of Tonio. Raised him in a loving home among family…" she trailed off and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Ziva reached over and took the elderly woman's hand in her own, "You loved him; that made a difference in his life even if you never saw it. You had a part in shaping him into the man he is today, the man I love with all my heart. For that I thank you." She squeezed the hand of the older woman, "Life tends to go the way it is meant to; not the way we want it to go. I think though that when we accept that, things turn out the best possible way."

Aunt Isabella squeezed Ziva's hand in return, "I can tell why he loves you so much. Thank you for loving my nephew and for opening his heart." She dabbed at her eyes again and noticed the time on her watch. "Oh my, it is past time to start heating the lasagna," she started to get out of her recliner.

Ziva handed LJ to his great-aunt, "Here, you burp the baby, and I will get the lasagna in the oven. What temperature do you use? How much time?"

"Three seventy five for fifty five minutes; and take the foil off before you put the pan in the oven."

"Okay; this looks delicious. I am certain there will be no leftovers with my hungry family. Anthony can eat as well as his Abba; he definitely inherited the DiNozzo food gene," Ziva placed the pan in the oven and set the timer. She glanced over at the old woman with the baby. Aunt Isabella was cooing and smiling at LJ who was watching her and kicking his feet. She was very glad to add another DiNozzo to her family.

The patio door opened, and four kids rushed in; their cheeks and noses pink from the cooling air. Tony followed and locked the doors before removing his jacket. "Mmm, do I smell lasagna?"

Anthony perked up, "Lasagna? When are we having dinner; I'm hungry!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, bookmarks, comments, and read-alongs. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse backward into Tony's childhood.


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